Fabrics

Even though a suit made of manmade materials might cost less, don’t make this mistake – trust me, I’ve done it. Fibers such as Viscose, rayon and polyester do not breathe as well as natural fibers. Besides, these fibers break down and end up looking worn and cheap.

When choosing a suit, you should stick with wool. There are many reasons for picking wool. Wool is water resistant, it is moisture wicking, is a fantastic insulator, it regulates temperature, is breathable and it blends well with other fabrics.

Wool comes in many weights.

For Spring/Summer, choose tropical wool.
Tropical weight wool is two-ply, plain weave worsted wool which is sturdy yet lightweight. Often referred to as summer wool, it is used for the production warm weather suits.

For the colder month, choose worsted wool.
Worsted wool is manufactured in Worsted, England and has been since the 18th century. The wool fibers are spun into compact and smoothly twisted yarn prior to weaving. Worsted wool goes through a second process in which unwanted shorter fibers are removed causing the longer fibers to lay flat. Besides being breathable, worsted wool is wrinkle and crease resistant thus is a great choice when purchasing a suit.
Now you must decide which grade of wool you want in a suit, Super 100's, Super 110's, Super 120's, or Super 150's. The differences are measured by fiber microns. An example would be Super 100 wool contains fibers which are finer than 18 microns, whereas Super 150 contains fibers which are finer than 15 microns. In laymen’s terms, the higher the number, the softer the fabric is. In fact, Super wool 150 is finer than cashmere. Personally, I like wools between 120 and 150.



Written for the Miles David - Mens Custom Clothier website.